The Underspores, Ep 2

The Belowdowners descended deeper into the sewers, navigating past rushing water to a cavern below. There, they found a distraught man named Jeff Happenstein, who warned them about a woman named Lily who was creating a fungal colony by implanting people with seeds. He revealed she was the source of the spores plaguing the town above.

Following Jeff’s directions, the party discovered Lily’s grotesque colony, a cave writhing with mucus, mycelium, and transforming addicts. Lily, a monstrous humanoid with a toadstool for a head, refused to abandon her new home, sparking a chaotic battle. During the fight, Fat Slasher surgically removed a fungal seed from an addict with his fork, while Bogmire, overcome by a drug-fueled craving, took a bite out of Lily herself. After the party defeated the fungal queen, Minnathar inadvertently dropped a second seed, causing it to explode in a spore cloud that wiped out the remaining fungal thralls.

Returning to the central chamber with a passed-out Bogmire, the group confronted Jeff about a suspiciously clean scarab bracelet he wore. When he tried to flee, Fat Slasher snagged him with a fishing hook, accidentally maiming him. After Elm miraculously healed the unconscious man, the party bought the magical Scarab of Protection from him before he finally escaped.

Pressing onward, they discovered the true source of the spores: a sewer witch named Freya Blackwood. The hag transformed into a beautiful woman and attacked, but her spells consistently failed. The party worked together to overpower her, with Minnathar dragging her toward her own campfire. After a struggle, they shoved her into the flames and defeated her, finally putting an end to the spore infestation. Their victory was capped off by a final, ill-advised treasure hunt by Elm, who stuck his head into the murky water and was promptly swarmed and paralyzed by jellyfish before his companions could save him.

Descent into the Sewer Depths

• The party returned to the sewers to investigate the source of mysterious spores.
• They devised a plan using a 10-foot pole, a basin, and a rope to safely descend a 50-foot drain shaft.
• They arrived in a circular chamber with a central platform surrounded by murky water.
• They encountered an NPC named Jeff Happenstein on a debris island.

The Fungal Colony

• Jeff revealed that a woman named Lily was creating a fungal colony by implanting people with seeds.
• The party entered Lily’s lair, a cave covered in mucus and mycelium.
• They confronted Lily, a humanoid with a toadstool for a head, and initiated combat.
• Fat Slasher killed an addict by extracting a grapefruit-sized fungal seed from its stomach.
• Bogmire bit and ate a piece of Lily, becoming high on the fungal drugs.
• The party defeated Lily, and a dropped fungal seed exploded, killing the remaining addicts.

Encounter with a Coward

• The party returned to the main chamber, where Bogmire passed out from the drugs.
• They noticed a clean scarab bracelet on Jeff, who then tried to flee up the rope.
• Fat Slasher hooked Jeff with a fishing rod, ripping his eye out and causing him to fall.
• Elm discovered Jeff was still alive and healed him.
• The party purchased the Scarab of Protection from Jeff for 150 gold, and he escaped.

The Sewer Witch’s Lair

• The party explored the other sewer path and discovered Freya Blackwood, a hag.
• Freya transformed into a beautiful woman and attacked, but her spells repeatedly failed.
• The party worked together to grab Freya and drag her towards her own campfire.
• After she escaped their grasp, they shoved her back into the fire and defeated her.
• With Freya’s death, the spores plaguing the town finally dissipated.
• They looted her chest, finding pearls and a spell scroll.

A Final, Painful Treasure Hunt

• Elm stuck his head into the murky water to search for treasure.
• He was immediately attacked and paralyzed by a swarm of jellyfish.
• The party pulled him out of the water and killed the jellyfish attached to his head.
• Elm recovered and stubbornly put his head back in the water, finding a tarnished longsword.
• The party returned to town, collected their reward, and completed the quest.